Betting firm cuts odds on Gatwick beating Heathrow to expansion

Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport’s odds of being awarded the right to develop a new runway have lengthened to 5/4.

Betting firm Betway say that Gatwick’s chances of a successful application for a new strip have been boosted by pro-Gatwick Sadiq Khan’s election as Mayor of London, and the appointment of a number of anti-Heathrow MPs to new Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet.

They say the controversial decision could have serious ramifications for Mrs May’s new government, as many MPs have promised to oppose expansion near their constituencies at all costs.

Former candidate for London Mayor and Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith has promised to trigger a by-election if Heathrow is given the go ahead to expand.

And Justine Greening, MP for Putney and newly appointed education minister is vehemently against Heathrow expansion, as is the MP for Uxbridge and Ruislip and new Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who has promised to ‘lie down in front of bulldozers’ to stop a new runway being built.

However, many Kent, Sussex and Surrey Conservative MPs are opposed to any expansion at Gatwick.

Betway’s Alan Alger said: “Increasing UK airport capacity is broadly supported by most MPs, but the devil is in the detail and with a razor-thin majority of 12 in the Commons, new Prime Minister Theresa May has a very difficult decision to make.”

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